In the year since a church in a small Kentucky town began constructing a series of tiny homes to help the area’s struggling homeless population, Pastor Grant Hasty said he’s learned to wait on God.
“It’s been quite the journey,” he told Faithwire on Tuesday.
Hasty, who serves as the lead pastor for Crossroads Community Baptist Church in McCreary, said there are not many options for the town’s homeless community, explaining the motivation behind the project he and his congregation began in July 2018.
At the time, he noted some 32 percent of the county’s residents lived below the poverty line, which has served as the impetus for many who have turned to opioids.
The minister said that, though the church originally planned to construct 20 tiny homes, the plans have since been altered. Now, they are working to construct 16 homes on a 13-acre swath of land, half of which will be used for the houses.
The acreage, which also serves as a horse farm, is owned by the church.
“It allows some more land for usability for some of the community components, as we’re calling them, like the work areas,” Hasty said, noting he didn’t want the church to be “overwhelmed” and shortchange any of the residents who eventually live in the community.
The exteriors of four homes have been completed and construction began this week on a fifth house. Further construction toward completion, Hasty said, has been “put on hold” after the church ran into unexpected trouble with its wastewater permitting.
Without that stumbling block, though, Hasty said it’s possible the church might not have decided to move forward with several “community components,” like garden boxes and chicken coops, that will ultimately serve to enrich the area.
“There’s been some tweaking along the pathway, but it’s been pretty amazing to watch God continue to orchestrate it all,” he said.
In addition to providing the homeless and recovering opioid addicts with shelter, the community will also serve as a revitalization center, helping train residents for jobs and lifestyles that will ultimately equip them to be self-sufficient.
Hasty said he doesn’t think the church will have any trouble filling the 16 houses once construction is done, noting he’s already heard from at least 10 people who would like to move in.
The pastor said he hopes to see construction completed by next spring, if not sooner. And that could happen, given Hasty said he’s heard there is a large church possibly interested in funding the remaining work.
Once the houses are ready, those who are interested in moving in will have to undergo an application and interview process.